The Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is a great creation combining the theories on united front, political party and democracy of Marxism-Leninism with China’s concrete practice by the CPC. It is a grand achievement by CPC with all democratic parties, mass organizations and personages of all ethnic groups and sectors accomplished through united struggles and hard work.

On September 21, 1949, the First Plenary Session of the CPPCC was held in Peiping (present Beijing) with representatives from the CPC, all democratic parties and personages without party affiliation, all mass organizations, regions, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, ethnic groups, overseas Chinese and other patriotic democrats. The meeting which acted on behalf of the NPC’s authority and the will of national people adopted the Common Program of the CPPCC with the nature of an interim Constitution, Organic Law of the CPPCC and Organic Law of Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China; at the meeting, it decided to establish the capital of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in Beijing with the Five-Starred Red Flag as the national flag and the March of the Volunteers as a national anthem as well as establishing the Christian era as a way of numbering the years; it also elected the first National Committee of the CPPCC and Central People’s Government Council of the PRC, having proclaimed the founding of the PRC and opening the first page of the New China.

After the New China was founded, the National Committee and the Standing Committee of the CPPCC, as an organic and consultative agency of united front, played a standing and important part in the consultation for the implementation of the fundamental policies of the state, and made significant contributions to the recovery and development of our national economy, consolidating the newly born people’s democratic regime, assisting the government with the promotion of all social reforms and expanding the united front of the people’s democracy.

The September 1954 meeting was the first meeting of the 1st NPC which adopted the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China. In December 1954, the first meeting of the 2nd National Committee of the CPPCC passed the CPPCC Charter proclaiming that the Common Program had been replaced with the Constitution and that the Plenary Session of the CPPCC had finished its task of acting on behalf of the NPC. However, the CPPCC would continue to play a role as the organization of the united front of people’s democracy. After the first meeting of the 2nd National Committee of the CPPCC, local committees of the CPPCC were established in provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government respectively.

For more than a decade from 1955 to 1966, the CPPCC played quite a vital role in uniting people of all ethnic groups and the patriotic force of various sectors, promoting people’s democracy, activating state’s political and social life and mobilizing all positive factors to the building of the state.

In the year 1978, as China entered a new period of reform and opening up and modernization construction, the CPPCC started its new development epochs when the CPPCC at all levels played an important part in the state’s politics, economy, culture, and social life. They also propelled reform and opening up, modernization construction, and the grand cause to achieve national reunification, actively participated in government affairs, and maintained social stability and unity, while intensifying the exchange with compatriots of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan and overseas Chinese and enhancing mutual understanding and exchange and cooperation with all countries and people.

While entering into a new century and a new stage, China’s united front was further expanding which had bloomed into a most extensive patriotic united front made up of all socialist laborers, the builders of the socialist cause and patriots standing up for socialism and national reunification. Likewise, the CPPCC had become a patriotic united front organization including the above personages and representatives from all political parties, mass organizations, ethnic groups and various sectors of society. The CPPCC conscientiously carried out a series of major strategic thoughts including the Scientific Outlook on Development and building a socialist harmonious society put forward by the CPC Central Committee while inheriting the fine tradition and work experience of all previous CPPCC to blaze new trails in a pioneering spirit, continue to explore new ways and display new dynamism in its work.

The extraordinary history of development of the CPPCC for more than a half century can be summarized into two themes: unity and democracy. Implementing unity and democracy under the leadership of the CPC was the concentrated reflection of the nature of CPPCC, the historical and realistic basis for the emergence and development of the CPPCC as well as the orientation and the mission of the CPPCC’s dedication and continuation to move forward. Looking forward to the future, the CPPCC will surely be playing a bigger part in the progress for promoting the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics and realizing the Chinese nation’s great rejuvenation.